OREANDA-NEWS. October 02, 2008. Over 30 participants including the representatives of think tanks, research centers, academic institutions, international agencies, embassies of ECA countries and private sector tried to find an answer to this question in the World Bank country office in Uzbekistan.

They gathered on 30 September for the launch of the World Bank publication entitled "Innovation, Inclusion and Integration. From transition to convergence in Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union".

Pradeep Mitra, Chief Economist, Europe & Central Asia Region, World Bank and author of the report made the presentation from Almaty via videoconference facility connecting Astana, Bishkek, Dushanbe and Tashkent.

The presentation stimulated debate and the author was asked a lot of questions. What is the answer to the question in the headline? Today, only 10 years after the Russian financial crisis, the former Eastern Bloc is back on its feet - and for many countries in the region, the transition is over. But while many countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union have put the crisis of the 1990s behind them, they need to innovate, include all their citizens in the development of their countries, and integrate with the broader global economy if they want to sustain growth. So, transition is over, but not for all.

The presentation have become a good opportunity not only to launch a new publication, but also to come back to previous ECA flagships like Migration and remittances report, From Red to Gray, Productivity report and others.